PHOTOGRAPHERS
Below is a sampeling of units and lessons I have done with my students. In the classroom, artists are typically given questions to deal with and then are allowed freedom to explore and work within the presented themes and ideas.
All the work presented here is done by high school students and is not of my making.
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"What is something that you need to say but cannot find the words to properly communicate it?"
Typically students are more adept at communicating with their words or in writing, but when they are tasked with doing it visually they have a hard time making that transition. I being my photography classes with this question to get them thinking through their cameras. Beyond capturing a moment, students are challenged to speak and fill in the gaps that verbal language doesn't always occupy.
Too often we also hide or feel that we cannot openly share or say what we need to say, I find this especially true for high school students. As brazen as students can be, there is much more below the surface they want to say but can't for a number of reasons. This unit begins to excavate those thoughts and statements in order to show students that they do have a voice, and it is important, and it is beautiful.
THE INNEFFABLE
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It is common practice in photography to highlight those things that others may not notice. As artists, we are charged with showcasing and sharing the knowledge and beautiful world we know and see around us to others.
The school I teach at also actively promotes the value of finding beauty and meaning in the everyday normal and the mundane. This personal characteristic teachers students to value their every day and to be present. These values directly relate to some of the many ways of being that artists strive for.
Through this unit, students are encouraged to simply be present, to look, and to notice what in their normal every day life may be much more beautiful than previously thought.
FINDING THE BEAUTIFUL IN THE ORDINARY
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Independent photographic research is really nothing more than acting as a artist who pursues art making with a purpose and a desire to make or show something.
Students are guided through the process of devising compelling photographic projects, involving critical reflection, exploration of mentor photographers, peer reviews, artistic research, and final refined projects.
Students are encouraged to challange themselves, discover what ideas and methods are meaningful to them, and cultivate a photographic voice. Many take chances, make failures, and find new discoveries about their initial ideas and purpose. While students are guided and challenged by me as the teacher, I often act as a sounding board for what they already know in their heart and mind about the work they are making.